Visit Of 35 Taiwanese Firms Targeted To Add Headquarters In Miamidade County

By Zachary S. Fagenson The Taiwanese are coming, and the state and local agencies organizing the inbound mission hope they can convince about 40 companies from one of the four Asian Tigers to stay.

The mission is being coordinated locally by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami and in Taiwan by the Taiwan Trade Center, which operates offices in several American cities.

So far, about 35 companies are expected to visit South Florida from Sept. 18 to 23, according to Taiwan Trade Center in Miami Director David Liu.

Though he said he didn’t have a final list and profile of all visiting companies, they include companies involved in car parts, consumer electronics, electronic hardware, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and equipment, and fabrics.

Trade between Taiwan and the Miami Customs District, which stretches from Port St. Lucie to the Keys, came in at about $18.2 million for the first quarter of 2010, according to Florida Foreign Trade Association analysis of US Census Bureau data.

Taiwan’s trade with the region in 2009 totaled $555.6 million, up 6.99% from 2008, according to the association.

It seems the nitty-gritty of the delegation’s visit is up to the companies themselves.

The first event is a seminar covering details of South Florida’s business environment with representatives of Enterprise Florida, the Beacon Council and the Jay Malina International Trade Consortium, which is helping host the delegation, followed by one-on-one meetings with local businesses.

The only other official event, according to Mr. Liu, is a reception to be hosted by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez.

"It’s up to our delegation to see what they think the best arrangements for their purposes for the trip are," Mr. Liu added. "We’re trying to invite them to see some good locations."

The ultimate goal is to show them why they should set up US headquarters in Miami.

"In the beginning I think the delegates will prefer finding a counterpart, a buyer," he said. "We’re trying to educate them to see how they can utilize the advantages of Miami-DadeÖ to access the whole of Latin America."Details: www.miamidade.gov/itc.